When it comes to independent film, the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah is the place to be. This annual 10'minus;day event in late January is the largest independent film festival in the country, boasting an exclusive guest list of industry big shots and Hollywood celebrities. For most everyday indie film aficionados, however, jetting off to Utah in the dead of winter to see a movie or two isn't exactly feasible.
Luckily, Boston got a little taste of Sundance last Thursday night, Jan. 28, when the Coolidge Corner Theatre hosted an advance screening of the new Boston'minus;based production 'The Company Men' (2010). As part of the first ever Sundance Film Festival USA, this special, one'minus;night event featured eight filmmakers showcasing their Sundance submissions beyond the slopes of Park City in eight different cities across the country.
'Sundance is devoted to the idea of fostering new voices and developing artists with independent visions,' Lisa Viola, associate programmer of Sundance, said the night of the event. 'Sundance Film Festival USA transferred these artists and their work to us in hopes of extending the dialogue of the ideas and the emotions in these new films here on the mountains of Utah into communities who have shown passion for independent cinema.'
According to Beth Gilligan, the Coolidge Corner Theatre's associate director of development, marketing and outreach, the theater was preselected to take part in Sundance USA after receiving a call from John Cooper, the artistic director of the Sundance Film Festival. Gilligan explained that the Coolidge Theatre has worked with Sundance in the past, which made it a likely choice to host the festival's 'The Company Men' screening.
'We had been linked to Sundance through The Art House Project every January for the past few years,' Gilligan told the Daily. 'It's basically a conference and a chance for art house cinemas to come together and collaborate. So I think our name and reputation in Sundance really sort of grew through that.'
The evening of the Sundance USA event kicked off in Boston with a few unexpected snow flurries, leaving first'minus;time director and screenwriter John Wells to joke that maybe this was the Sundance Festival in Utah after all.
The Coolidge Theatre was abuzz with excitement as people settled into the theater's plush red seats and took in the majestic art deco decor of the room while waiting for the film to start. With a packed house full of press, Sundance reps, Wells himself and an unexpected appearance by one of the film's young actors in the audience, the lively Boston crowd really felt like Sundance had made its way to Beantown.
'It's hard for members of the general public to go to Sundance, especially from the Boston area, so we were happy for the opportunity that Sundance got to open its doors,' Gilligan said. 'We just saw Sundance USA as another service to the community, because we are a non'minus;profit, mission'minus;driven theater. It's a very good, nationally recognized addition to our theater's special programming.'
Wells' 'The Company Men' follows three hotshot businessmen (Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper) in Boston's shipbuilding industry who are forced to face the realities of the current economic crisis. After their company's corporate downsizing, the men find themselves struggling to protect their families and maintain their lavish lifestyles, while trying to cope with their newfound unemployment.
The drama poignantly portrays the present dismal economic situation, and with the film set and shot on location in many popular places around Boston, 'The Company Men' hit particularly close to home on Thursday evening. As part of Sundance USA's initiative to foster a dialogue between audiences and filmmakers about their work in a more intimate setting, Wells also held a Q&A session after the screening, allowing many Boston natives in the audience to voice their strong, emotional reactions to the film.
'It was very special having the director there, because it's not something you get every day. It's a timely film, and I think it was just emotionally resonant given the realities of the economy and what's happening in the news,' Gilligan said.
And with the success of last week's first annual Sundance USA event, Boston residents and the Coolidge Theatre are eager to take part in Sundance USA again in the future.
'If Sundance decides to do this next year, we'd love to be involved,' Gilligan said. 'I heard back from John Wells and his people ,and they were very happy about how the screening went. If they find a film for us, we will happily show it.'
